Harry Potter and the Year of Discovery
by Angel Storm
Summary: A new term finds the trio of friends with new feelings and discoveries about themselves and each other. Will Harry get the girl? Will Draco find his true love, in an enemy that is least expected? Read to find out the answers to these questions and more.
1. Default Chapter

::Author's Note:: Okay everyone. I'm new at this whole fan fiction thing. I usually write my own original fiction. Anyway, I'm a real Harry Potter freak and have read the books and watched the movies and have a lot of Harry Potter collector's stuff. So here it goes. This is going to be a slash, so if you don't want to read it, then don't. Please be kind in a review. I'm a very tall person and could crush you with my foot. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related trademarks. 

Chapter One 

Once again it was time for school to start. Harry Potter was staying with the Weasly family once again. His horrible relations had gotten under his skin and he couldn't take it anymore. Maybe it was the fact that he had tried to touch Dudley's hand repeatedly at the breakfast table. Whatever the reason, Aunt Petunia had had a major meltdown and told Harry to the house and never come back again. Harry knew that she didn't mean it and that he would once again be going back there the next summer. Sigh. 

Harry liked staying at the Weasly's home, even if Ginny Weasly had written him numerous "anonymous" love letters, telling him her inner most fantasies about how she wanted him to touch her hands. Ron had been behaving most peculiar though. Harry had found a picture of Hermonie under Ron's pillow, with bright red lipstick all over it. But he had just shrugged it off, thinking nothing about it. 

Anyway, as it was, their Hogwarts letters had arrived and the family was planning to go to Diagon Alley to purchase supplies for the new term. Having enchanted a new car, a Ford yet again, there was no reason to travel by Floo Powder. Harry was very relieved. One reason being he didn't like to see his best friend going up in a day-glow flaming ball of death. The other, the powder got his hands dirty. They wouldn't be flying the car, obviously, which disappointed the twins. They like shiny flying things. Like UFOs and the such. 

Harry was hoping to "run" into Hermione that day. He had hoped to sway her to him, not Ron. Harry had been very hurt the day he had found that picture of his lady love covered in lipstick under Ron's pillow. 

"Oh how the fates torment me," he mumbled to himself. 

"Did you say something?," Ron asked him. 

"Oh, it's nothing," Harry replied, reassuring his friend with a gently pat on the hand. 

Ron went back to his thoughts, knowing perfectly well that since Harry had no inner monologue, all he had to do was listen to his friend close enough to find out what he was saying. 

As all this was going on, a love sick Ginny was staring into the back seat Harry, yearning for him to touch her hand. How she longed for his gentle touch.  
Finally reaching London and going through the enchanted wall in the back of the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. and Mrs. Weasly made their way along the street, lovingly looking into each other's eyes. Fred and George were drawn away by the shiny looking objects in a close window display. Percy was not with them, being married to his job and having a secret love affair with Professor Flitwick. No one was to know of this. 

So, Ron and Harry strolled down the sunny alley, taking in the sites, each secretly hoping to run into Hermione. Silently in the shadows, Ginny followed, hoping to touch the hand of Harry Potter. How she longed for it. Running down the street, her bushy hair staying still even at the breakneck speed of her run, came Hermione. Her front teeth were no longer the horrible molar nightmare they had been, even if that had been the first thing that had attracted the smitten Ron. 

Hermione blushed when she caught sight of him. The famous Harry Potter. Maybe it was just the money. Or that beautiful scar that crossed his large forehead. Perhaps it was the fame. She just knew that she loved him. How she longed to touch those hands. 

Harry wished that he could touch her hand. Just once. Even though he had done it while she was petrified in their second year, it wasn't the same. He wanted her to feel the emotion. 

"Hello Harry," said a breathless Hermione. 

"Hello, Hermione," replied Harry, in a seductive, deep voice. 

Ron envied Harry's deep throated voice. If only his own voice didn't go all squeaky and high-pitched whenever he was nervous or scared. Which was very often since Harry seemed to drag him into many perilous adventures. 

"Hello Hermione," Ron said to her, hoping to draw her attention to him, instead of his devilishly good looking friend. 

"Oh, hello Ron," replied Hermione, not very interested. 

Hanging his head in disappointment, Ron drudged on ahead to Florish and Blotts, in hopes to regain a better mood. 

"Hermione," Harry questioned, trying to touch her hand nonchalantly, "Why did you give Ron a lipstick encrusted picture, but not me?" 

Hermione simply looked at Harry with a shocked look on her face. 

"But I never gave Ron a picture of me. That little son of .....," she trailed off. 

"I mean, it's not like I care or anything. Hey listen, let's just get our books and go. I think that would be best for all of us," he tried to comfort, reaching for hand, but not quite finding it. 

A hurt Hermione went in ahead of Harry, not looking at him, for fear he would see the tears in her eyes. They both went about the business of buying books for the new term. Harry tried to touch a few more hands, but was sadly disappointed. They met up with Ron and prepared to leave. Harry and Hermione were leaving to wait outside for Ron, who was taking forever trying to decide if he wanted to buy Charm Your Own Cheese or not. 

Finally buying the book, Ron was leaving the store. Suddenly his way was blocked by a tall figure. Ron looked up to find Draco Malfoy blocking his way. Ron found himself studying the way the light hit off Draco's silver hair before he realized what he was doing. Checking out Malfoy of all people! He could do so much better! 

"Out the way, Malfoy," Ron sneered. 

"When I'm damn good and ready Weasly, I just wanted to see something real quick. Yep, you do have a lot of freckles on your face. So disgusting," replied Draco, looking extremely not disgusted at the freckles the were dusted along Ron's face. 

Finding feelings bubbling up inside him, Ron pushed himself passed Malfoy. Ron was very confused by these feelings inside him. 

"See you at school, Ron," cried out Draco to Ron's retreating back. 

"What was that all about?," asked Harry, reaching for Ron's hand. 

"Nothing, you know how Malfoy is, probably just wants to beat me up," Ron merely shrugged, but was still disturbed by his feelings. 

Walking through the enchanted wall, the three friends all walked back into the muggle world, Harry reaching for their hands. 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor anything remotely connected with it. Even if I do have this really cool collector's mug of Harry's head. Tee hee! 

Chapter Two 

It seemed like no time at all when the summer holidays were over. Fred and George had packed all the shiny things they could get their large freckled hands on. Ron was very glad to get over with the holidays because he was bombarded by so many owls from Malfoy professing his undying love to Ron. Ron, of course, was still very confused about his feelings, and hid the letters under his pillow, along with his bright red lipstick covered picture of Hermione. 

Harry, once again thinking of the good times they would have at school, was packing his belongings. A picture of Hermione's hand, Ron's hand, Malfoy's hand, Oliver Wood's hand, hands in general. He stopped and thought for a moment. Maybe he was overly obsessed with hands. Maybe....naw. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to pack. A stack of freshly ironed socks, a spare pair of shoes, crisp underwear. All his school books that he would need for the new year. It was going to be great, maybe he might even be able to touch Cho Chang's hand. Even though she was in her final year, Harry idolized those hands. He had a whole shrine built to them which he had then asked Hermione to shrink. Well, he had just asked her what the spell would be. 

Just as he was finishing up he heard the door slam behind him. Quickly turning around, he discovered Ginny standing there with her back pressed against the door. She looked very flushed and out of breath. And she was looking at Harry's hands. 

"Did you need something?" He asked her. 

All she could do was breathe harder. She looked like she was getting ready to faint. But instead she simply ripped the door opened and fled. He looked at her retreating back with a raised eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. He had more important things to worry about that Ron's crazy little sister. Even if he had saved her life and touched those milky white hands. 

*** 

The next day and a few hours later saw all of the gang on the train. Of course, Fred and George were off with Lee Jordon, each of them bragging about who's shiny thing collection was bigger. Ginny was standing outside the compartment that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sharing. She was just so nervous around him. All she wanted was to feel those beautiful hands on her's just one time. Sadly she knew this would never happen and she trudged off down the train to let Colin Creevey take pictures of her. She was definetly going to ask him this time if he was a Down Syndrome kid. 

As she walked into the compartment she was sharing with Colin, she noticed it was draped with deep velvet red curtains. Candles were lit everywhere and a small lounge was drawn up in the middle. Ginny heaved a sigh. She knew it was going to come to this_. I let him take just a few photos of me and he thinks I'm posing for some nudey girl magazine_, she thought to herself. Not that she had ever seen one of those magazines but she knew her Percy had one stashed somewhere, not that she had been looking for it or anything... Anyways, back to the story. 

"Are you ready, my pet?" came a voice from behind her. 

Ginny spun around to find herself face to face with Colin. _Man,_ she thought, _his eyes really do bug out a lot._ With this thought she could hardly contain the laughter that burst through her lips. 

"Did you hear something?" Hermione asked from the trio's compartment down the hall. 

Hermione was always sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Not that it mattered to the love smitten Ron or the obliviously obvious Harry. They always did what she told them to do, following like lost little Flobberworms. It was an endearing habit but defienetly one she was going to have to break them of. Suddenly the train rounded the mountain and the school came into view. 

"About time, I thought I was going to be stuck on this stinky train forever," Harry announced. 

_There he goes again, _Hermione sighed to herself. She was really, _really_ going to have to find a spell to repair Harry inner monolouge. She was getting tired of his outbursts, even if he was the hottest wizard to grace Hogwarts corridors. With this her eyes became misty and she zoned out as she stared at her idol. 

Ron followed Hermione's gaze and silently cursed Harry in his mind. _Damn him!, _he thought, _I just wish for once that a bludger would break his nose and she would look like that at _me_!_. Realizing it was no good looking at the pair, he happened to glance at the door to the compartment. What he saw excited, scared and confused him. There was no other than Draco Malfoy blowing kisses at him and winking. _My life has seriously gone to hell,_ he sighed as he put his head in his hands, _just let the train quickly get to the platform._

_***_

The Great Hall looked magnificent, decked out with the streamers and disco ball. Disco ball? Hermione had just looked up to the ceiling to see the sky reflected when she noticed the gynormous mirror tiled, rotating ball. It just hung there in the air, twinkling in the last oranges and reds of the sunset. 

"It looks like Dumbledore went garage sale hopping over the summer," she commented to Ron. 

A confused Ron turned to her and replied, "Garage sale? Why would anyone want to buy a garage? Couldn't you just build one? 

"No, no Ron. I mean it looks like he was out buying other peoples' junk. You know, the stuff people don't want," Hermione tried to explain. 

This just confused Ron even more, "Wait a minute. You mean there are people out there who would want to buy other people's garbage? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard." A smile spread across his face, "I get it. This is a joke. Just some muggle joking you picked up over the holidays? You're a real card Hermione, you should tell that one to Harry. Though he might not get it. Oh well." 

With this Ron chuckled and went to find a seat at the Gryffindor table. All Hermione could do was shake her head. The boy was absoulutely thick. Utterly so. She figured there was no help for him and followed her thick friend. She was really hungry and she was ready to eat a horse. But she shouldn't tell Ron that, he would just get all confused again and think she really wanted to eat a horse. 

A/N: Wow! I can't believe it's finally done. Let's have a party! Oh wait, can Draco come too? (teehee teehee) Anyways, I would like to thank Ducky for finally sitting my ass down so I would finish this. THANK YOU DUCKY!!!! I can't believe I'm asking this *cringes in corner* please leave a review as to help me along with this masterpiece. If you feel the need to flame, go ahead. I have my fire proof clothes on in case of such an emergancy. 


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